


Wolf

by DarkKnightDan



Category: Kill la Kill (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Civil War, F/F, Feudal Japan, Feudalism, Japanese Mythology & Folklore, No Life Fibers, Samurai, Shinobi, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-10
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2020-01-10 19:39:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18414533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkKnightDan/pseuds/DarkKnightDan
Summary: With her country on the verge of war, Satsuki Kiryuuin seeks out a shinobi to accompany her most trusted soldiers onto the battlefield, a soldier willing to do things that her honorable guard cannot. As a means to this end, she seeks out a shinobi once pardoned by her mother, and he brings her a wolf.





	Wolf

“More tea, Lady Satsuki?” The young woman glanced up for the bottom of her cup, where the last remnants of her first cup still lingered, eyes falling on Soroi, who had moved from his place against the wall to hold the teacup out for her. Satsuki took one last sip to finish the cup before holding it out to her servant, who filled it without question. Satsuki returned her cup to the small table in front of her, and sighed as she leant back on her haunches. 

“You’re getting worse and worse at sneaking up on me, Uzu.” She said as she glanced over her shoulder, seeing the lithe man in question standing there, hips cocked to the side, his head tipped in the same direction. A smile pulled at the edge of his lips as Satsuki’s eyes ran over him. 

“That, or you’re just getting more and more perceptive, milady.” He countered while taking a step to her side, so that she didn’t have to turn her head to look at him anymore. “Besides, I wasn’t trying to sneak up on you. Gamagori sent me.” Satsuki took a sip of her tea as Uzu explained, before returning it to the small saucer that held it so perfectly. 

“He didn’t come himself?” Satsuki questioned, turning to look at the green-haired man, who smirked in response to her question. 

“You think he would let anyone else check a pair of shinobi? He wouldn’t even let Nonon handle one, he just told her to get the guards here on alert.” 

“And he sent you to tell me that they were here?” Satsuki postulated as she moved to her feet, Uzu offering a hand to her, which she moved away as she stood. Uzu moved his hand back to his side in response to the brush off that Satsuki had given him, his smile still lingering on his face. 

“Well, he actually sent me to make sure that they weren’t accompanied while he dealt with those two, but, in a roundabout way, yes.” Uzu walked behind Satsuki as she moved towards the door, which was pulled open by the guards that stood on the other side of the screen. The scent of petrichor and wet grass filled the hallway that the two stepped into, the only illumination that guided them came from the lanterns that burned on either side of the hall. 

“He was supposed to tell me when it was safe to bring you.” Uzu informed Satsuki as they walked between illumination and shadow, his hand always resting on the hilt of the blade on his waist. Satsuki, similarly, kept her hand on her own blade. 

“These two are of no concern to me.” Satsuki retorted simply as she moved like a shade down the hallway, barely making any sound as she and Uzu moved closer and closer towards the front of the pagoda that housed Satsuki’s living quarters. “If they were, they would have already been killed, or under my control.” 

“Then why did you ask for the girl?” Uzu questioned. “If she isn’t even strong enough to face you, how is she supposed to protect you any better than Gamagori or me, hell, even Nonon or Inumuta?” Satsuki offered the tiniest of smiles then, as she stopped in her tracks for a moment and turned to face Uzu once more. 

“I said that they are of no concern to me. You would be smart not to underestimate the shinobi, Sanageyama. After all, Isshin did train your master.” That caused Uzu’s brow to cock in confusion. His master had never once mentioned being trained by a shinobi, let along by this Isshin Matoi that Satsuki had requested. What reason was there for a samurai to be trained by a shinobi, anyway? 

“For the moment, you should treat the both of them as threats. While they might not be able to kill me, I wouldn’t hesitate to think that he, at the very least, could kill you.” Satsuki turned again and continued walking down the hall, until they reached the main door. Uzu walked forward to open it for her, and she stepped out into the fading light of the day. Across the courtyard that stretched from the pagoda to the castle gate, Satsuki could see Gamagori in front of a pair of figures, surrounded by a small group of guards. 

“He’s really taking this one seriously.” The light tone drew Satsuki’s eyes slightly downward, to find Nonon standing there, arms crossed over her chest. “What’s so special about this guy anyway? He looks like he can’t even swing his cane, let alone a sword.” That, Satsuki noted, was something she did not have knowledge of. One of the figures did appear hunched, using a cane to support its weight. She assumed this must have been Isshin Matoi.

“Wouldn’t take much to take you down though, Jakuzure.” Uzu said from behind her. 

“Be quiet, monkey.” Nonon shot, turning to face her fellow retainer with a scowl and fire in her eyes. “Before I send you back to Kanto without those special eyes of yours.” Uzu snickered at the threat, using his thumb to pop his blade out of its sheath just slightly. 

“I’d like to see you try.” 

“Enough, both of you.” Satsuki scolded the two without moving her eyes from the group in front of her, watching as Gamagori turned and saw her standing there for the first time since they had emerged from the pagoda. She saw the figures turn to face her as well. For a moment, the torch of one of the guards illuminated the face of the stooped figure. He had a beard that grew wild, nearly down to his stomach, and a face marred with scars that spoke of years of battle. From this distance, Satsuki could see that one of his eyes was scarred over, but she was unable to see anything of the second figure. 

“The girl is young.” The familiar voice of Inumuta invaded the silence that had settled over the group for a moment, Satsuki’s scout slinking out of the shadows, adjusting the dark clothes that he wore. “Younger than you, milady.” He informed Satsuki as he leant against one of the pillars beside her, which caused Nonon to scold him for not showing the proper respect to their employer when he spoke. 

“I asked for a wolf, and he brings me a pup.” The palpable disdain in Satsuki’s voice caused Uzu’s ears to perk up, his lips accompanying them as he returned his hand to his blade. He could feel a fight brewing, and he wasn’t going to waste the opportunity to be the one to throw the two intruders out of the castle without their heads. 

“That might be so,” Inumuta mused as he turned to glance at the two figures again, “but she might not be as much of a pup as we think.” What evidence her informant had gathered to come to that hypothesis, Satsuki did not know, but she figured that, if there was any evidence, that it might become clear in time. After all, Isshin Matoi must have realized that she would not accept an experienced shinobi into her fold. 

Almost on cue, Gamagori turned, and began to lead the pair across the courtyard that separated him from his compatriots and his employer. The two figures walked behind him, hands at their sides. Satsuki noted that there was no distinct shape of a sword on either of their hips, but she didn’t think for a second that the two wouldn’t have some manner of weapon concealed on their person. 

“Lady Satsuki,” the lumbering frame of the Captain of her guard knelt in front of her, his head bowed. “I have brought you Isshin Matoi, and his apprentice, as you requested. They have both been thoroughly searched.” Satsuki didn’t offer any thanks to Gamagori as she stepped forward, standing on the step of the pagoda still, putting her just above the eye level of Isshin and his follower. 

Now that she was in the light, Satsuki could see for certain that the girl was younger than her, perhaps younger than all of those in her employ. The girl stood with a confidence that went beyond her years though, almost mimicking the stance of the swordsman that stood behind her. Her icy blue eyes bore into Satsuki, expressionless, emotionless. The small scars that dotted her arms and face spoke of battle, though not as intensive as that which the older man had seen. 

“Isshin Matoi, why have you brought a pup to my doorstep, when I asked you for a wolf?” The older man moved the hand not on his cane to stroke his beard thoughtfully, the one eye that was not scarred over boring into Satsuki in a similar fashion to the woman’s as he thought of a response. 

“Lady Satsuki, you requested the most adept shinobi that I could offer you. Save for myself, she is what I am able to offer.” Isshin moved his hand from his beard to gesture at the woman standing next to him. “My own daughter, she is no pup.” Satsuki smirked as she again moved her hand to her blade. 

“My mother once spoke of how foolish you were, even under her employ you believed too much in those who held no power. I have no reason to accept your daughter when I could simply seek out another shinobi with more experience.” Satsuki saw the expression on Isshin’s face change then, as a smile just barely peaked through the thick hair of his beard, his one good eye lighting up. 

“Ryuko, if you would, show Lady Satsuki your competition.” Without a word, the woman, Ryuko, stepped forward, and withdrew a pouch from her side. Before she could hand it to her, Gamagori stepped between her and Satsuki, extending a hand for the pouch, which she deposited into his palm. Without a word, the Captain of the guard opened the pouch, and peered inside.

“What is it, Gamagori?” Satsuki questioned without moving her eyes from Ryuko, still ready to draw her blade in a moment. She could feel the tension that had settled over the rest of her elite guards as well, each of them no doubt ready to leap into action at the first word from their employer. 

“Fingers,” Gamagori informed her, before upending the pouch into his palm. A small collection of fingers spilled into his palm. Some of them looked fresh, their skin pale but recognizable, while some appeared withered, faded as though they had been carried in that pouch for months, perhaps years. “Each of them marked with the symbol of the shinobi.” Gamagori replaced the fingers into the pouch before throwing it back to Ryuko, who caught it out of the air and returned it to her hip.

“Ryuko will not be bested by any other shinobi, or warrior, that you could throw at her.” Isshin said as he moved both hands to his cane, leaning all of his weight into the stick as he looked up at Satsuki. “She is, as you requested, a shinobi worthy of your employ.” Satsuki’s steel gaze moved from Isshin to his daughter again. 

“She will obey my commands?” Satsuki questioned, and Isshin nodded. 

“The code of the shinobi dictates that she listen to my every command, and I will command her obey every order that you give her. If she does not, then you only need to send a messenger to me, and I will discipline her.” Satsuki ran her gaze over Ryuko once more, sizing up the other woman, debating just how long the raven-haired shinobi would last in a duel with her, should the worst come to pass. She thought, maybe, that Uzu could handle it, decided if he couldn’t that Gamagori or Nonon could at the very least, and turned back to Isshin. 

“Then I will take your wolf, Isshin Matoi. But know that if she disobeys me, or attempts to harm me or my mission, then I will make sure to send the full wrath of my army upon you. Whatever pardon my mother arranged for your crimes will be forgotten.” Again, a smile peeked through the beard of the elder shinobi.

“I will welcome the challenge.”


End file.
